Flooding, Fortitude

Calvin Coolidge, touring Vermont a year after the flood of 1927 and moved by the recovery efforts at work in the state, told a crowd in Bennington the following:

“I  love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves to serve others. If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the union and support of our institutions should languish, it could be all replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont.”

Crises are trying, but also filled with neighborliness and generous acts. Both are embodied daily our region, where extreme terrain and climate routinely demand cooperation, good spirits, and goodwill. Vermont, the Adirondacks, and the greater North Country are all filled with good neighbors. It’s how we’ve survived winters and learner times. And, after the flooding, it’s what will see us through.